By Greg Gulas

sports@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

As Campbell prepares for its 93rd season, the good news for head coach Ed Rozum is that the momentum the Red Devils built by winning two of their final three games in 2016 seems to have carried over to preseason camp this summer.

They went 4-6 overall last year and 2-4 in the All-American Conference Blue Tier, but those two league wins came against conference foes Champion and Newton Falls, teams below them in the standings.

Two of their four wins came by shutout, but they lost to the four teams that finished directly ahead of them in the league and Rozum wants that to change.

With just 31 players, staying healthy will be paramount as the Red Devils will count on two-way performers as they chase their first .500 or better record since 2012, when they went 6-4.

It’s the fourth year of Rozum’s return to the sideline and for the first time he has a cautiously optimistic approach to the season.

“We’re quite young and have enjoyed steady improvement over the past three seasons, but as head coach you want that improvement to happen overnight, which usually isn’t the case,” Rozum said. “We were competitive in every one of our games last year, but had multiple scoring opportunities that we failed to convert. Our problem was we didn’t finish what we started, so our goal heading into this season is to finish those plays and opportunities.”

The Red Devils outscored opponents 230-200 last year, winning by an average of 26 points while losing four games by 10 points or less.

While depth might be an issue, Rozum looks at that as an opportunity for his seniors to lead as they return 10 letterwinners, including seven that start on both sides of the ball.

“Picking up where we left off last year is key and we need to get off to a fast start, then maintain that momentum,” Rozum said.

OFFENSE

If the Red Devils expect to make any noise at all, then their hopes will rest on the shoulders of quarterback Darion Jones, a three-year starter who has been under center since his freshman year.

Brandon Liggins will move from wingback to tailback with fullback Antwaan McMeans expected to convert short-yardage situations.

Three upperclassmen will anchor the line with Nagi Robinson at guard and Rayshawn Hicks and Seth Jackson at tackle.

Robinson and Jackson are seniors with Hicks the junior member of the group.

Jones’ targets include Keyoncee Brown (who will also see time at running back), Malachi Barnarn and Gerald Brown.

DEFENSE

Defensively, the Red Devils yielded 20 points per outing last year, but got better late. They allowed just 12.3 points in their final three games. Rozum has stressed that improvement during the offseason.

Offensive mainstays Robinson, Hicks and Jackson just happen to be the defensive stalwarts up front and were a big reason the team showed promise at the end of last season.

Jones doubled as a linebacker last year, but will move to defensive end this season.

The secondary has the experience with Liggins, Gerald Brown and Keyoncee Brown, Barnarn and McMeans the last line of defense for the Red Devils.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Soccer standout Sacai Atsas joins the team as its placekicker with Jones handling the punting duties for a third consecutive season.

Jackson is the snapper with Nikita Klimas the holder.

OUTLOOK

The Red Devils must improve their third-down conversion rate on both sides of the ball.

“Our defense was strong last year, but we allowed far too many big plays and failed to halt drives by allowing opponents third-down conversions,” Rozum said. “Conversely, we failed to convert in order to keep our drives alive.”

Veterans will need to shoulder the load until newcomers become game tested.

“Our upper-class leaders must hold us in until the newcomers mature and they’ll need to grow up fast,” Rozum said. “We have a challenging schedule but this group is highly competitive, very coachable and works hard every time they hit the field.”

“We shouldn’t have to coach effort and this group gives plenty of effort, which makes it fun for me as their coach.”

The staff will have to live with mistakes early on, but Rozum said he can live with aggressive mistakes.

“We’re extremely close to turning this around,” he said. “I call this group the ‘lunch box kids’ because they show up every day for work and are ready to go from the minute they arrive.”